The IDF launched a series of strikes across Lebanon early Monday in response to rocket fire by Hezbollah toward the Haifa area, opening a new front as the war with Iran intensified. Meanwhile, the military said it began a new round of strikes against Iranian regime targets in the heart of Tehran.
Military officials said Hezbollah was responsible for the rockets fired earlier from Lebanese territory, which triggered air-raid sirens in Haifa and surrounding communities without the advance warning typically provided by alert systems.
IDF launches series of airstrikes on Iranian regime targets in Tehran
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets at what it described as a “military site” south of Haifa. The group said the attack was in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by Israel.
Communities in northern Israel told residents that the military had begun what it described as a “wave of strikes” across Lebanon and that the attacks were expected to continue in the coming days.
In light of the escalation, local authorities reiterated emergency guidelines, emphasizing that launches from Lebanon can occur without prior warning. Residents were instructed to immediately head to a protected space upon hearing a siren.
It was the first rocket attack by the Lebanese terrorist group since a ceasefire took effect in November 2024, ending months of cross-border fighting.
At least one projectile crossed into Israeli territory and was intercepted by the Air Force, the military said. Several others fell in open areas and were not intercepted, in line with policy. No injuries or damage were reported.
Civilians fleeing southern Lebanon ahead of IDF strikes
Lebanese media outlets reported Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon shortly after the rocket fire. The Saudi-owned Al Hadath network aired footage showing civilians fleeing southern parts of the country. Explosions were also heard in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold, as well as the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
The retaliatory strikes in Lebanon were carried out as Israeli Air Force jets were also attacking targets in central Tehran. The IDF confirmed it had begun another wave of strikes targeting what it described as “Iranian regime terror targets in the heart of Tehran.” Iranian media reported explosions in several areas across the country, including the capital.
Shortly after the rocket attack on Haifa, sirens also sounded in Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, with the military saying the alerts were triggered by rocket fire.
Earlier, warning sirens had sounded in the western Galilee and the Golan Heights amid fears of possible infiltrations by Iranian drones. The military said the search for the aircraft was ongoing, and alerts were also triggered in the coastal city of Nahariya, the Hula Valley, Rosh Pina and Safed. Alerts were also activated in the Dead Sea region.
The military later said the drone incident had ended and residents could leave protected spaces, but were instructed to remain nearby. The drone was intercepted by the laser-based Iron Beam air defense system, according to footage shared online.
Drone downed by laser over Shlomi near Lebanese border
(Video: from social media)
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A fire near breaks out near Shlomi, a town in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, following a manhunt for a suspected drone
Gabi Naaman, head of the Shlomi local council — a western Galilee community along the Lebanon border — said a drone had been intercepted over the town and that Israeli forces were operating in the area, with gunfire heard as part of the response. He stressed there was no incident inside the town or along its immediate border.
“We are preparing for Hezbollah fire toward northern communities and remain on high alert,” Naaman said. “We are deployed in large numbers on the ground and have full control of the situation.”
About an hour before the rocket attack on Haifa, the military said alerts warning of a suspected drone infiltration in northern Israel were determined to have been false alarms.